​I should have known better – it had rained hard the previous evening and I could see water standing in the sand pit from the entrance to the small dog side at Loch Haven Dog Park. Against my better judgment, I turned Annie lose and she began playing with Marci, a frequent, ideally suited playmate.

It didn’t take long before Annie had run to the end of the park where the sand pit is located. She and Marci ran through the very edge of it while chasing each other, just getting their feet wet. On the next round, they ventured a little deeper.

As I stood at the other end, I realized I had lost this battle before it had begun.

On their third round they ran deeper through towards the middle. Marci kept going, but Annie turned and ran right back into the middle of the sand pit filled with water delightfully playing and jumping in the deepest part. Then, the inevitable, she began drinking it.

Marci joins her while Marci’s mom and I yell at them to get out of there. Marci’s mom successfully threatening her with a bath and she obediently exited the water. Annie just looked at me defiantly while I called to her from the outer edge.

Psalm 63:1

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Prayer: Father, may our thirst for You never be quenched, but increase our desire for Your presence daily. Amen.